October is a unique time of year as far as the world of sports in North America is concerned. Baseball is heading into the home stretch with the World Series coming our way. Football is about a month into the season. Hockey's pre-season is ending with the promise of a new chase to the Stanley Cup about to be under way. Even basketball is in the midst of training camp with their regular season starting at the end of the month. And for those of you who follow professional soccer on this side of the pond, that is still going on too. Yes, all (male) major league sports are present in one way or another during October - a busy time for the networks in addition to the MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLS.
But even though there's such a wide variety of real sports games to be watching this time of year, I'm going to give my little ode right now to sports movies. I love them, I always have. More often than not they're stories about the underdog team or athlete working hard and with just enough guts and determination, they're able to beat whatever Golliath they're facing. And as corny as it may be, I love it when these sports tales are commenting on something much greater than just the final score. Miracle wasn't just about a hockey team, it was about a country needing something to believe in when it felt hopeless. Remember the Titans was about more than high school football, it was about looking at race relations in 1960s America and the idea that a small group of people, even a high school football team, can make a difference. The Replacements captures the idea of having a second chance to live your dream. The incomperable The Mighty Ducks shows how even misfits have a place to belong. And though I'm not really one for watching golf, The Legend of Baggar Vance uses the game of golf as a metaphor for life, something that "can't be won, only played."
But that's not always the case, they don't always win or end in the traditional happily ever after, and those stories (fiction or fact) are almost even more endearing to me. Rudy is based on the true story of a young man who only ever dreamed of playing Notre Dame football, and for all his hard work for four long years, he got to dress for one game and participate in two plays. In Mystery, Alaska, a small-town Alaskan team puts up a hell of a fight against the New York Rangers and though they fall short when the final buzzer sounds, the movie is about a team with a lot of heart who really didn't lose when you consider the big picture.
I could go on and on. True, I love it when a movie or story is based on something that actually happened (such as Invictus - if you haven't seen it, you should), but they all carry the same tone with me. Sometimes, it really is more than "just a game" and though winning is always the preferred outcome, the bigger message is about laying it all out on the field, ice, court, etc. and giving the situation your absolute best so that when you do walk away or look back later in life, there are no regrets. So here's to the sports movies and the many metaphors they stand for.
Oh, and Go Blackhawks!!
Showing posts with label comparing life to the movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comparing life to the movies. Show all posts
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Day #7973 - Shades of Beige
Last week, I finally went to see the movie Letters to Juliet with my mother. While it follows the predictable plot line that most romantic comedies use (and I'm a complete sucker for most of the time), this was a movie I wanted to see for different reasons. The second line of William Shakespeare's famous play declares that "In fair Verona, where we lay our scene." Verona, Italy of course being where I studied abroad two years ago and the whole reason that I started this blog in the first place. I was so excited to see this movie even if the story was terrible just because I wanted to see that skyline and the piazzas blown up on the big screen. However, the way that certain aspects of my beloved city and its citizens were portrayed irked me a bit - not a whole lot, but just enough where I felt it warranted space here.
First off, Juliet's courtyard and the letters that started it all. It's actually true that people from all over the world for over a century have been leaving letters for Juliet at her tomb, beneath her balcony, and mailing them to Verona from all over the world seeking her advice (or really, the wisdom of her secretaries). However, the movie bases its whole plot on the fact that every night the letters are removed from the walls of her courtyard - now when I was there, this wasn't done. People are no longer allowed to stick their notes and letters to the walls because they were finding that the chewing gum people were using as an adhesive was ruining the stones. In addition to this fallacy, there were the scenes that took place here. First of all, every time I was ever at the courtyard it was always PACKED with tourists - not exactly the sort of "off the beaten path" setting that the movie made it out to be. And benches for women to sit at while they sobbed and wrote letters? Yeah, not so much. I understand the need for these changes/inaccuracies - it makes for a cuter scene, a better shot, a good plot point. It's the same way that movies show people going to the Trevi Fountain in Rome and it's completely deserted except for the characters - yeah right, like that would ever happen in reality.
Also, while it is true that Italians love soccer, that doesn't mean there are always boys in the street kicking around a soccer ball. I feel like I have now seen this in every movie that's supposed to take place in Italy.
However, none of this bugged me quite as much as the color palate that the costume designer chose for this particular motion picture. Everyone was wearing beige, all the time! Beige, cream, khakis, pastels - if it was light and kind of bland, that's the color they were wearing. And not just the principle cast, but the extras too! I couldn't help but laugh and cry a little bit at the same time - the Italy I went to and the Verona I have pictures of are filled with explosions of COLOR, and vibrant ones at that. Again, I'm sure it was so people weren't clashing all over the place on screen, but I couldn't believe that such a blah color palate was used to show people in the land of love, life, and passion. But I guess que sera, sera, no?
So that's my rambling for this evening. Not exactly an issue of substance, but something I just felt like throwing out there. I'll get better at this with more time, I hope :o)
First off, Juliet's courtyard and the letters that started it all. It's actually true that people from all over the world for over a century have been leaving letters for Juliet at her tomb, beneath her balcony, and mailing them to Verona from all over the world seeking her advice (or really, the wisdom of her secretaries). However, the movie bases its whole plot on the fact that every night the letters are removed from the walls of her courtyard - now when I was there, this wasn't done. People are no longer allowed to stick their notes and letters to the walls because they were finding that the chewing gum people were using as an adhesive was ruining the stones. In addition to this fallacy, there were the scenes that took place here. First of all, every time I was ever at the courtyard it was always PACKED with tourists - not exactly the sort of "off the beaten path" setting that the movie made it out to be. And benches for women to sit at while they sobbed and wrote letters? Yeah, not so much. I understand the need for these changes/inaccuracies - it makes for a cuter scene, a better shot, a good plot point. It's the same way that movies show people going to the Trevi Fountain in Rome and it's completely deserted except for the characters - yeah right, like that would ever happen in reality.
Also, while it is true that Italians love soccer, that doesn't mean there are always boys in the street kicking around a soccer ball. I feel like I have now seen this in every movie that's supposed to take place in Italy.
However, none of this bugged me quite as much as the color palate that the costume designer chose for this particular motion picture. Everyone was wearing beige, all the time! Beige, cream, khakis, pastels - if it was light and kind of bland, that's the color they were wearing. And not just the principle cast, but the extras too! I couldn't help but laugh and cry a little bit at the same time - the Italy I went to and the Verona I have pictures of are filled with explosions of COLOR, and vibrant ones at that. Again, I'm sure it was so people weren't clashing all over the place on screen, but I couldn't believe that such a blah color palate was used to show people in the land of love, life, and passion. But I guess que sera, sera, no?
So that's my rambling for this evening. Not exactly an issue of substance, but something I just felt like throwing out there. I'll get better at this with more time, I hope :o)
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